Food & Resource Center of South Central Oklahoma Opens

(Ardmore, Okla.) – September 8, 2016 – Yesterday, a ribbon cutting was held at the new Food & Resource Center of South Central Oklahoma in Ardmore, Okla. The Food & Resource Center, located at 801 Hailey St. SW, will provide food and other resources for hungry residents in Carter, Johnston, Murray and Love Counties.

“We couldn’t be more grateful to the City of Ardmore and all of our generous donors,” said Amber Buell, executive director of the Food & Resource Center of South Central Oklahoma. "We can now provide access to nutritious food in a positive, uplifting environment, and connect people with other resources that can help break the cycle of poverty in south central Oklahoma.”

The Regional Food Bank launched the Food & Resource Center pilot program in 2012 to address both the needs of Oklahomans struggling with hunger and those of the community. The focus of Food & Resource Centers is to provide greater access to more nutritious food and build partnerships with other services and programs in each community, like Ardmore.

There are five fully operational centers in the Oklahoma City metro area along with eight outside the metro in Durant, Elk City, Enid, Lawton, Shawnee, Ponca City, Weatherford and now, Ardmore. Additional Food & Resource Centers are planned throughout the Regional Food Bank’s service area in central and western Oklahoma. Each location is based upon need and community support and built to fit the look and feel of the community where they are located.

“One in six Oklahomans struggles with hunger every day,” said Rodney Bivens, executive director of the Regional Food Bank. “Families in south central Oklahoma who are experiencing difficulty keeping food on their table will now have access to nutritious groceries including produce, milk and protein items in a grocery-store-like setting. The Food & Resource Center of South Central Oklahoma is the result of tremendous community collaboration and support and will make a huge impact on the lives of those who find themselves in need.”

The Food & Resource Center of South Central Oklahoma officially opens to the public on Monday, September 12, from 2 to 6 p.m. Hours and days of operation after the opening are: Mondays, 2 to 6 p.m., Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call 580-798-2293 or email info@feedingsouthcentralok.org. Find FRCSCO on facebook at www.facebook.com/feedingsouthcentralok.

Established in 1980, the Regional Food Bank is the largest private, domestic hunger-relief organization in the state of Oklahoma. Last fiscal year, the nonprofit distributed more than 52 million pounds of food and products through a network of 1,200 charitable feeding programs and schools in 53 central and western Oklahoma counties.

For more information about the Food & Resource Center of South Central Oklahoma, including how to donate or how to volunteer, visit www.feedingsouthcentralok.org or call 580-798-2293. Together, we are “Fighting Hunger…Feeding Hope.”

About the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma

The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma is the state’s largest private, domestic hunger relief organization and a member of Feeding America’s network of Food Banks. The nonprofit provides enough food to feed more than 116,000 hungry Oklahomans each week through a network of more than 1,200 schools and charitable feeding programs in 53 central and western Oklahoma counties. Since its inception in 1980, the Regional Food Bank has distributed more than 644 million pounds of food to feed Oklahoma’s hungry. For more information, visit http://www.regionalfoodbank.org; find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/regionalfoodbank or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/rfbo.